Abstract

Wildlife studies have often depended, by necessity, on using or altering tools designed for other purposes. Development of new tools to expand our ability to study animals has often been cost-prohibitive due to the limited applications of any project or species-specific design. While managers and researchers may be able to conceive of a new tool, fabrication can be hindered by expense and development time. Furthermore, minor changes to meet the needs of a specific population may be challenging. Advances in technology, such as 3D printing, and readily accessible design software have greatly increased our ability to move designs from concept to reality in record time, a process known as rapid prototyping. Additionally, new methods and materials available for 3D printing have allowed the development of functional prototypes.

As part of a research project investigating energetics of Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii), we developed a new flipper tag to which a VHF transmitter could be mounted. While other tags were commercially available, they were either incorrect sizes, incompatible materials, or lacked features (reusability, ease of attachment/removal) that were desired for field deployment.

To meet our project needs, we designed a new flipper tag using Autodesk Inventor 2014 3D CAD Software. Polyactic acid plastic prototypes were printed to allow project researchers and technical staff to review designs. Following design refinements, final prototypes were printed in Nylon-12 using a commercial print service.

Two of these new tags were deployed on Weddell seals in the Ross Sea, Antarctica in December 2016. Each had a Sirtrack VHF transmitter affixed using Devcon Plastic Welder. One of the seals did not return to the area, and therefore could not be checked for tag retention. The other seal was recaptured in November 2016, 341 days after tag placement. At the time of recovery, the holes punched in the flipper for placement were well-healed and the tag and transmitter were recovered intact.

Modest development costs coupled with the ease of design integration and refinement are important to the customization of technologies for wildlife studies. Other manufacturing methods such as computer-aided machining or injection molding, have high initial setup costs. These methods are valuable and can save costs when high-volume production (thousands of parts) is needed. However, for small numbers of parts or when frequent design changes or customizations are necessary, these techniques can be cost-prohibitive. Advances in 3D printing and a wide array of printable materials allow functional parts to be produced at affordable rates for researchers and managers. Availability of new materials and access to techniques such as 3D printing allow functional parts to be produced at affordable rates for researchers and managers.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the members of the B-009 and B-292 Antarctic science groups for logistical and technical support, and Dr. Lori Campbell for editorial review.

* Presenting author